NASA's long awaited paper, Measurement of Impulsive Thrust from a Closed Radio-Frequency Cavity in Vacuum, has passed peer review and been published in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)’s Journal of Propulsion and Power. The takeaway? They consistently measured 1.2 millinewtons per kilowatt of thrust in a vacuum with no apparent reaction mass. Several potential sources of error were considered and examined. If the results are replicated and not the result of error our current understanding of physics would be shattered. [more inside]
posted by Justinian
on Nov 19, 2016 -
157 comments

No, Alan Moore Isn't a Recluse [Publishers Weekly] “Speaking in intimidatingly long and thoughtful sentences, Moore is affable, relaxed, and eager to talk about his new novel, Jerusalem [Amazon], to be published in September by Norton’s Liveright imprint in the U.S. and Knockabout in the U.K. It’s a 600,000-word opus that has been lurking, Cthulhu-like, behind his last decade of work. Remixing the most-reader-challenging tricks of writers such as James Joyce, Roland Barthes, and Mark Z. Danielewski, Jerusalem is an astonishing collection of words and ideas that weaves a hypnotic spell.” [Previously] [Previously][more inside]
posted by Fizz
on Sep 8, 2016 -
33 comments

The future of space travel demands better communication. The pokey pace at which our current Martian spacecraft exchange data with Earth just isn't enough for future inhabitants who want to talk to their loved ones back home or spend a Saturday binge-watching Netflix. So NASA engineers have begun planning ways to build a better network. The idea is an interplanetary internet in which orbiters and satellites can talk to one another rather than solely relying on a direct link with the Deep Space Network, and scientific data can be transferred back to Earth with vastly improved efficiency and accuracy.
posted by Chrysostom
on Mar 6, 2016 -
41 comments

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